iPad as a laptop replacement

[Zest28]

No. You can’t.

Additionally: this thread is about “replacement”.

Of course you can amplify your productivity on iPadOS in various scenarios via, actually, whatever “remote” connection. But it is definitely not the panacea as you present it.
People have many times here presented their case why an iPad serves them as a replacement and although why not.

There are usage scenarios in which without a doubt an iPad gets for example full functional parity with a lap/desktop - but there are although scenarios where this simply does not happen. Not locally, not remotely.
And yes, there are of course the usage cases in which an iPad simply excels.

Yes it can.

My mother does all her work in the office and at home, she does everything on the iPad. There is literally no need for her to buy a laptop with her iPad.

If I had to re-do my entire setup today, it would be as follows:
- M2 Ultra Mac Studio + 2 x Apple Studio Display
- iPad Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The Mac Studio didn't exist when the 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro was launched, which is why I have this machine.

 

[sparksd]

If internet is unavailable, what can you do? Even if you could work, you can communicate/send the results, so why bother?
I know I can’t work without Internet.

You can do a lot without the Internet - use your imagination.

 

[alecgold]

You can do a lot without the Internet - use your imagination.

I can do a lot without the internet and imagination, but work is not one of them…

 

[sparksd]

I can do a lot without the internet and imagination, but work is not one of them…

You have a document you need to create/write for work and all of the info needed for it is available locally, no remote data needed. You can't write that document now and communicate it to others when access is available?

 

[Slartibart]

Yes it can.

You can’t. We are still talking about “if it does not work locally, you can always do it remotely from the ipad”, aren’t we?

I am not only referring to remotely accessing the home desktop when you are e.g. somewhere in the outback. As others have already pointed out, there are scenarios where that might be quite tricky.
But even if you manage a reliable remote connection independent of time, geographical location, home IP reset after certain intervals by ISP, required Dynamic DNS update, etc. - there are other things: the way pointer control works when you e.g. access Blender remotely from iPadOS and try to edit a complex scene… it’s a workaround, not more not less. For sure nothing you want to do all day. And reading this thread, there are plenty scenarios where using an ipad does not work.

My mother does all her work in the office and at home, she does everything on the iPad. There is literally no need for her to buy a laptop with her iPad.

And it is grand that she can. Many here have exactly commented the same. Many the contrary.

Still so far the iPad running iPadOS is at least not allowed to be a universal computing device like lap- or desktop running other OSs.

 

[teh_hunterer]

Sure the MBP was more powerful and versatile, but I end up being more productive on the iPad, also portability, even with added weight from the MK, it’s unparalleled, and being able to lift the screen from the keyboard is a godsend in some situation.

Can you expand on why/how you're more productive on the iPad?

I can certainly imagine some, mostly creative, scenarios where the focused nature of the iPad (ie one full screen app at a time) can actually result in higher productivity even with a smaller screen or a less powerful device. In some of these scenarios, it's actually your ability to give something undivided deep attention for long periods of time that is the limiting factor instead of the technology.

For my day job, unfortunately even a 14" screen isn't enough for me given all the systems I have to jump between in order to get things done. I typically use an 11" iPad Pro in sidecar just to get a bit more of the screen real estate I'm desperate for.

 

[yabeweb]

Can you expand on why/how you're more productive on the iPad?

I can certainly imagine some, mostly creative, scenarios where the focused nature of the iPad (ie one full screen app at a time) can actually result in higher productivity even with a smaller screen or a less powerful device. In some of these scenarios, it's actually your ability to give something undivided deep attention for long periods of time that is the limiting factor instead of the technology.

For my day job, unfortunately even a 14" screen isn't enough for me given all the systems I have to jump between in order to get things done. I typically use an 11" iPad Pro in sidecar just to get a bit more of the screen real estate I'm desperate for.

As you stated the first thing is definitely the one app at the time, which help focus and have less distraction, I work mostly on Affinity, so I have the tools i need on the iPad.

Once you get used to the workflow its very natural and the touch + keyboard setup add redundancy and more ways of doing the same thing (drag and drop on touch is a lot natural than with a mouse / trackpad).

I am not getting a less powerful device as it’s the same m2 i would have had in a laptop, and the 11 inches screen is amazing for portability while I can still plug an external monitro when i need the extra space (At my desktop it’s always iPad + Display).

The organization of the file app for me it’s making thing easier, I have each file in their own app, and while it can seem limiting for some it is definitely how I expect it to work.

Sure it’s not all perfect, there are times when I need to learn how to do things the iPad way, there are some app I cannot use as they are Mac OS specific so i need to find alternatives, but all in all, I would not get back to the traditional computer as main device.

Some people see the iPad as an extra deveice to use when they need portability, for me it’s the opposite, I see the traditional Computer as a device for when i cannot do the task on the iPad (very limited scenarios for my usage)

Another thing that helps productivity for me is the pencil and the nature of the device, being able to move the screen makes me able to work in scenarios that were difficult with a computer.

 

[alecgold]

You have a document you need to create/write for work and all of the info needed for it is available locally, no remote data needed. You can't write that document now and communicate it to others when access is available?

No, a lot of my work is (real time) collaborating on documents, teams meetings and email. I would say about 70% of my work time is spend with others. I enjoy the moments I have “alone” for thinking and writing and (try to) make blocks of them in my agenda.

 

[Digitalguy]

I used to have my cellular 11" pro with magic keyboard as my on the go device (and before that my 9.7 pro with logitech create keyboard). I used jump desktop to connect to my windows desktop for the Windows only software I need for my daily work.
The reason why I gave up 1.5 years ago is that whenever cellular connectivity didn't work well or at all, my workflow was broken.
I therefore bought a cellular Thinkpad X1 nano, which is actually lighter than the 11" + MK and has a 13" screen.
If I am in a place with little or no cellular signal, I still have my Windows software available and also my dropbox syncs in the background in real time, so I have everything synced up to the moment I lost connectivity. I can work on files locally and then they'll sync in the background once I have Internet again. I miss touch, but that's more like a nice to have than a need.
With an iPad I am stuck, no remote, no background syncing in real time without connection.
These are the main reasons I moved on and use iPad on the go only when I need a second screen (use duet pro for that) and if I need pen input.

There is also another use case I replaced my iPad with a Windows tablet (a surface go 2).
In my evening job (dance teaching, different from my daily job), I had replaced pen and paper with my iPad pro and pencil (9.7 pro, then 10.5 pro and was thinking of using he 11" pro now that my 10.5 has terrible battery life).
But again, background syncing of my class documents (to check presences, take payments etc) is better on Windows, and I can use Whatspp, essential or managing my dance school, and painful from a phone, as I hate having to write long messages without a physical keyboard (not possible from the iPad, now possible from Android tablets but the surface cost me much less, open box M3 cellular with keyboard for under $300 vs $900 for a 5G Tab S9)

Sometimes, if I know I need the pen for my daily job and don't want to carry thinkpad + iPad, I only take the surface go 2 and it can do it all, although more cramped than my thinkpad.

 

[cflem]

Sadly with iPadOS so underwhelming for yet another year - I'm gonna sell my 12.9 iPad. Maybe next year they will figure it out... I dont see the need for a 12.9 iPad Pro when one has a great laptop and a big phone.

 

[txa1265]

Sadly with iPadOS so underwhelming for yet another year - I'm gonna sell my 12.9 iPad. Maybe next year they will figure it out... I dont see the need for a 12.9 iPad Pro when one has a great laptop and a big phone.

So true. I own the M1 11" iPad Pro ... and that was really the 'breaking point' in terms of where the hardware is SO massively ahead of the OS that the thing might as well be running System 7 at this point.

 

[Zest28]

You can’t. We are still talking about “if it does not work locally, you can always do it remotely from the ipad”, aren’t we?

I am not only referring to remotely accessing the home desktop when you are e.g. somewhere in the outback. As others have already pointed out, there are scenarios where that might be quite tricky.
But even if you manage a reliable remote connection independent of time, geographical location, home IP reset after certain intervals by ISP, required Dynamic DNS update, etc. - there are other things: the way pointer control works when you e.g. access Blender remotely from iPadOS and try to edit a complex scene… it’s a workaround, not more not less. For sure nothing you want to do all day. And reading this thread, there are plenty scenarios where using an ipad does not work.


And it is grand that she can. Many here have exactly commented the same. Many the contrary.

Still so far the iPad running iPadOS is at least not allowed to be a universal computing device like lap- or desktop running other OSs.

Are you seriously talking about the “outback“? I do alot of outdoor sports and I have never seen anyone “work“ on a laptop there, not a single time.

Guess what, the iPhone replaces laptops too. How many times do you see people use laptops in public rather than people reaching for their smartphones? It is extremely rare to find someone on a laptop in public, unless you go to Starbucks or a university campus.

 

[txa1265]

Are you seriously talking about the “outback“? I do alot of outdoor sports and I have never seen anyone “work“ on a laptop there, not a single time.

Guess what, the iPhone replaces laptops too. How many times do you see people use laptops in public rather than people reaching for their smartphones? It is extremely rare to find someone on a laptop in public, unless you go to Starbucks or a university campus.

Gatekeepers with closed minds will never accept that we don't live in 2004 anymore.

They have a rigid checklist about the exact criteria that must be passed without fail to qualify (but loads of things they can ignore because it counters their point).

And back in 2004 these same people would have been arguing that 'desktop replacement' laptops were a misnomer because ... reasons.

Like you say, plenty of people are doing more productivity tasks on a smartphone today than they could have on a laptop or desktop 5-10 years ago.

 

[Slartibart]

Are you seriously talking about the “outback“? I do a lot of outdoor sports and I have never seen anyone “work“ on a laptop there, not a single time.

How is this anectdotical observation related to “if you can’t do it locally on your iPad, just remotely connect to your desktop”?

Besides that there are plenty of professions which use laptops and tablets outside buildings.

Guess what, the iPhone replaces laptops too. How many times do you see people use laptops in public rather than people reaching for their smartphones?

Yes, and then these people remotely connect from the smartphone to their home (or office) computer to continuously stream their Linux/Windows/Mac OSs because they have to program, do CAD, do data analysis, etc. in a program which isn’t available (or doesn’t offer functional parity with the desktop version) on mobile…

I mean, really? 😄



There are things people can’t do on an iPad.

There are things iPadOS can’t do.

And there are plenty of things you can do on an iPad.



The comments contributed to this thread do show that. IMHO. YMMV.



Suggesting that an iPad is a full desktop/laptop replacement for everyone because “you can always remote access into your PC desktop”, like Zest28 did, is simply not true.
But there are plenty of happy people out there (no pun intended 🙃) with an iPad as their single computing device; heck, probably there are plenty with a mobile phone as a single device.

 

[Zest28]

-

How is this anectdotical observation related to “if you can’t do it locally on your iPad, just remotely connect to your desktop”?

Besides that there are plenty of professions which use laptops and tablets outside buildings.


Yes, and then these people remotely connect from the smartphone to their home (or office) computer to continuously stream their Linux/Windows/Mac OSs because they have to program, do CAD, do data analysis, etc. in a program which isn’t available (or doesn’t offer functional parity with the desktop version) on mobile…

I mean, really? 😄



There are things people can’t do on an iPad.

There are things iPadOS can’t do.

And there are plenty of things you can do on an iPad.



The comments contributed to this thread do show that. IMHO. YMMV.



Suggesting that an iPad is a full desktop/laptop replacement for everyone because “you can always remote access into your PC desktop”, like Zest28 did, is simply not true.
But there are plenty of happy people out there (no pun intended 🙃) with an iPad as their single computing device; heck, probably there are plenty with a mobile phone as a single device.

There are things you cannot do on a MacBook which you can do on a PC laptop. So a MacBook is not a "laptop replacement" then?

"There are things people cannot do on an iPad" .... people have access to working computers in the office, WFH setup and / or free computers provided by their employer. They are fine really.

As I said, I have yet to see someone outdoors in the wilderness "work" on a laptop. So this use case where you are out in the wild with no internet and no app doing a similar thing, does not invalidate the iPad being a laptop replacement.

 

[fw85]

-


There are things you cannot do on a MacBook which you can do on a PC laptop. So a MacBook is not a "laptop replacement" then?

"There are things people cannot do on an iPad" .... people have access to working computers in the office, WFH setup and / or free computers provided by their employer. They are fine really.

As I said, I have yet to see someone outdoors in the wilderness "work" on a laptop. So this use case where you are out in the wild with no internet and no app doing a similar thing, does not invalidate the iPad being a laptop replacement.

I mean I understand that some people do find inspiration in an environment change, so they go work at cafes, parks etc.

But I also fail to imagine someone regularly going to work in a place with no basic internet connection, whether they're bringing an iPad or a MacBook, simply because the extent of what you can do offline is still quite limited - you can't sync your changes, can't collaborate, can't look up source materials and so on - most jobs involving a computing device nowadays could probably find some reason why having no internet is a major obstacle in their workflow.
And even if you could do some of your work offline - is this a position you'd want to be putting yourself into regularly? I'd imagine most wouldn't.

I am a software engineer by trade and my current setup consists of an 11" M2 iPad Pro and a powerful custom desktop PC that is left at home as a kind of remote workstation.
When I arrive at the office, carrying just a small sling bag with my iPad and a vertical mouse, I dock my iPad in one of the thunderbolt docks with a large extenal screen, connect to my workstation via Jump Desktop and get to work. Within a few seconds I forget I'm working remotely.
The iPad is the computing device I interface with 100% of the time.

Thus with my setup, I have achieved the ultimate combination of portability and computing power. Sacrificing neither at any given moment. It does not even make sense for me to carry around a device that would do work-related stuff locally - as that would certainly put a large tax on its portability, and still wouldn't outperform my desktop PC.
YMMV, but this setup is a hell of a lot of fun to use, while being quite practical, too.

I also liked the previously mentioned analogy about it not being 2004 anymore, technology is quite flexible and versatile today. And the versatility of the iPad is simply unmatched at this point.

 

[Digitalguy]

I mean I understand that some people do find inspiration in an environment change, so they go work at cafes, parks etc.

But I also fail to imagine someone regularly going to work in a place with no basic internet connection, whether they're bringing an iPad or a MacBook, simply because the extent of what you can do offline is still quite limited - you can't sync your changes, can't collaborate, can't look up source materials and so on - most jobs involving a computing device nowadays could probably find some reason why having no internet is a major obstacle in their workflow.
And even if you could do some of your work offline - is this a position you'd want to be putting yourself into regularly? I'd imagine most wouldn't.

I am a software engineer by trade and my current setup consists of an 11" M2 iPad Pro and a powerful custom desktop PC that is left at home as a kind of remote workstation.
When I arrive at the office, carrying just a small sling bag with my iPad and a vertical mouse, I dock my iPad in one of the thunderbolt docks with a large extenal screen, connect to my workstation via Jump Desktop and get to work. Within a few seconds I forget I'm working remotely.
The iPad is the computing device I interface with 100% of the time.

Thus with my setup, I have achieved the ultimate combination of portability and computing power. Sacrificing neither at any given moment. It does not even make sense for me to carry around a device that would do work-related stuff locally - as that would certainly put a large tax on its portability, and still wouldn't outperform my desktop PC.
YMMV, but this setup is a hell of a lot of fun to use, while being quite practical, too.

I also liked the previously mentioned analogy about it not being 2004 anymore, technology is quite flexible and versatile today. And the versatility of the iPad is simply unmatched at this point.

I don't think anyone works regularly without the internet. If someone works regularly outside their office or home office, they should have cellular connectivity. And the times where cellular signal is lacking or missing are relatively rare (other than on flights). So it's more of "how important is that your workflow is not disrupted in those relative rare instances".
Personally I enjoy the iPad quite a bit more than a laptop, but a laptop gives me more peace of mind (it's more comfortable on my lap and is more useful if I have no signal).
I think the issue in these forum is also that it's iPad vs Macs and not much vs PCs.
PCs can be much more flexible that Macs. They can have cellular built-in (a must for me). They can have pen input. They can be much lighter than Macs and even than the iPad + Magic keyboards (see my Thinkpad example above). Which removes the argument of portability for iPad.

Having said that, there is something special in the combination (cellular) 11" iPad pro + Magic keyboard that no PC can match (and I mean that specific combination, the iPad alone on the go is not of much use to me other than as a monitor, and other keyboards like the logitech combo that I have destroy that versatility of the iPad that I love).
I just wish I could do things that I need like having background operation/sync (but I guess it won't happen as it would destroy the battery life of the iPad, since iPads have small batteries compared to laptops) or that some companies would make a iPad version of their software... (whatsapp for one, as many businesses here in Europe run on Whatsapp contrary to the US...)

 

[fw85]

Having said that, there is something special in the combination (cellular) 11" iPad pro + Magic keyboard that no PC can match (and I mean that specific combination, the iPad alone on the go is not of much use to me other than as a monitor, and other keyboards like the logitech combo that I have destroy that versatility of the iPad that I love).

Yeah this is particularly what I find so intriguing about the iPad, the way it can transform itself into several forms in the span of seconds.
From a thin tablet that's comfortable to hold while reading/web surfing/watching videos, to a great tool for journaling with the pencil, to a laptop-like experience with the MKB, to a desktop-like computer when docked on the table.

Some PC devices do come close, that's no doubt, such as the Thinkpad you mentioned. And they'll be better at laptop/desktop usage scenarios on average. But they are usually larger and still not as portable - weight is not the only factor, having to take a larger bag to fit the device also deserves consideration. Then if you want to use your device as a tablet, it's limited by Windows being a terrible OS for touch-first usage... and it's not as comfortable to use a 13" screen with a (potentially undetachable?) keyboard in tablet mode, for reading/journaling/drawing etc

It depends on what you're into and how many of these forms you can appreciate your device taking, but I'd still say on average, something like a 11" iPad Pro + MKB + Pencil is the most versatile computing device out there.

 

[Slartibart]

"There are things people cannot do on an iPad" .... people have access to working computers in the office, WFH setup and / or free computers provided by their employer. They are fine really.

I agree. Everything is possible as long as you have an additional device, vulgo the iPad is not a replacement. And yes, you can to a certain degree work around obstacles.

But e.g. I can’t simply download my preferred opensource data analysis and visualisation software, compile, and run it on my iPad.
Yes, I can connect to a lap/desktop, stream its screen and do everything remotely, but then it is more convenient to take the laptop - display size&storage space, better multitasking, hasslefree external storage use, and you best have a keyboard with trackpad connected to the iPad anyway, the list goes on, see comments in this thread.

If there is a bus replacement service, the corresponding train was cancelled. (And what joy that usually is. 😃)

The lap/desktop can’t be generally replaced by iPad for now.

Heck, it is not just the remote access theme - yes, it can work; probably often temporarily; but often not - of course this depends on the concrete scenario.

But there is more: you can for example use clang/clang++ local on iPadOS to compile C/C++ files to webAssembly and run these program. But you do not get the native performance. clang/clang++ can create native binaries, it does this on the Mac, but on iPad it is not allowed. You can jump through hoops e.g. create binaries remotely, test flight them for distribution, get them on the ipad, find a bug or have an idea to improve, RDP again (because that session probably ended when you switched to run your new remotely compiled app), … rinse, repeat. 😁
Programming on iPadOS is for various reasons unnecessary complicated or even not possible.
To be clear: certain apps like Carnets, a-shell, Swift Playgrounds etc. are great - for what they can offer.
Remote access is the only way to use full-featured programming environments on iPad.
Does it offer a solution you like to use permanently? The comments from programmers here and elsewhere indicate that it is not; iPad is a nice extension to have.
Other fields of application have similar limits on iPadOS.


nota bene: e.g. scientist doing fieldwork wherever, architects on building sites, seamen, photographers… use laptops… in the "outback" 🤓

 

[sparksd]

...


nota bene: e.g. scientist doing fieldwork wherever, architects on building sites, seamen, photographers… use laptops… in the "outback" 🤓

As a photographer, I end up in a lot of places where Internet access is extremely poor or nonexistent and my work consists of photo and video processing that can be done without that access, the output/results rolled off onto external media for later use. So, I don't count on remote access or necessarily even need it in these circumstances.

 

[fw85]

I agree. Everything is possible as long as you have an additional device, vulgo the iPad is not a replacement. And yes, you can to a certain degree work around obstacles.

But e.g. I can’t simply download my preferred opensource data analysis and visualisation software, compile, and run it on my iPad.
Yes, I can connect to a lap/desktop, stream its screen and do everything remotely, but then it is more convenient to take the laptop - display size&storage space, better multitasking, hasslefree external storage use, and you best have a keyboard with trackpad connected to the iPad anyway, the list goes on, see comments in this thread.

If there is a bus replacement service, the corresponding train was cancelled. (And what joy that usually is. 😃)

The lap/desktop can’t be generally replaced by iPad for now.

Heck, it is not just the remote access theme - yes, it can work; probably often temporarily; but often not - of course this depends on the concrete scenario.

But there is more: you can for example use clang/clang++ local on iPadOS to compile C/C++ files to webAssembly and run these program. But you do not get the native performance. clang/clang++ can create native binaries, it does this on the Mac, but on iPad it is not allowed. You can jump through hoops e.g. create binaries remotely, test flight them for distribution, get them on the ipad, find a bug or have an idea to improve, RDP again (because that session probably ended when you switched to run your new remotely compiled app), … rinse, repeat. 😁
Programming on iPadOS is for various reasons unnecessary complicated or even not possible.
To be clear: certain apps like Carnets, a-shell, Swift Playgrounds etc. are great - for what they can offer.
Remote access is the only way to use full-featured programming environments on iPad.
Does it offer a solution you like to use permanently? The comments from programmers here and elsewhere indicate that it is not; iPad is a nice extension to have.
Other fields of application have similar limits on iPadOS.


nota bene: e.g. scientist doing fieldwork wherever, architects on building sites, seamen, photographers… use laptops… in the "outback" 🤓

That's the problem - people stuck in old rigid mindsets about how personal computing has to work.

The future of software development specifically is actually not very likely to take the form of regularly carrying a bulky laptop to work - that's rather an old fashioned way of doing things.
Nowadays the trend is starting to slowly shift towards cloud computing, in which the company you're working for rents you a HW configuration as powerful as you might need in a cloud service like Azure/AWS, and you remote into it from a thin client anywhere in the world.
And there's more benefits from that than just performance alone, such as better upgradability, streamlined onboarding and faster deployment, better backups, better data security and loss prevention, and reduced capital expenditures on HW overall.

When bringing a lightweight MBA to work on locally, you're not realistically competing with a cloud workstation in any of those aspects.
A MBP can at least get you the performance at the cost of bulk, but that's still not the whole picture.

So back to the iPad - no, of course it can't do everything locally. But the question whether it actually needs to, is a matter of individual requirements and to a degree, how flexible your mindset is.

 

[alecgold]

…
The lap/desktop can’t can be generally replaced by iPad for now.
..

Here, fixed that for you.
GENERALY the iPad is a laptop replacement. Grandma, the nurse visiting at home, at daycare centres, the cable repair guy, a doctor at a hospital doing is daily round, small shops, restaurants, students and kids going to school, they all use iPads.
For some specific cases? Nah, it doesn’t work and you’re condemned to a laptop.
But there is a reasoned people like their iPads so much. Even when it can’t do all the things your operating system did on a laptop. Things they never used in the first place…

 

[Expos of 1969]

This thread will be 9 years old next month. What is being accomplished is beyond me...

 

[alecgold]

And it has defied Godwin’s law all this time?! That should be an accomplishment at its own…

 

[Expos of 1969]

And it has defied Godwin’s law all this time?! That should be an accomplishment at its own…

I had to look that up. Let us hope it continues to defy.